Azernews.Az

BAKU – The Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Karabakh was in focus at a meeting of Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul with his Azerbaijani counterpart Safar Abiyev in Baku on Wednesday, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said.

Minister Abiyev said efforts were being made to eliminate the consequences of Armenia’s policy of aggression against Azerbaijan and to find a negotiated solution to the long-standing Karabakh conflict. "But if peace talks yield no fruit, Azerbaijan’s availing of other means is not ruled out," he added.

Armenia has had territorial claims against Azerbaijan, a South Caucasus neighbor, since the early 1990s. The country’s armed forces have been occupying over 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory, defying international law. Azerbaijani officials have repeatedly warned that the country’s land will be freed at any cost.

Abiyev said that Azerbaijan and Turkey, which have been supporting each other throughout history, stood by one another in challenging times. "During the early times of the Armenian occupation, Azerbaijan sensed this strongly as well."

Abiyev pointed to the lack of due attention in numerous international organizations to terrorism targeting both Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The minister said Baku-Ankara relations in the military and military training fields were developing, and these principles would continue to underpin the principles of bilateral cooperation in the future.

The Turkish minister stressed the importance of deepening bilateral relations in the area of defense industry, along with those in other areas.

Gonul has also met with Azerbaijan’s Prime Minister Artur Rasizada and Defense Industry Minister Yaver Jamalov.

This article is published under a project of the Foundation for State Assistance to the